If you get along to a Cronulla Sharks home game it’s hard to miss 79-year-old supporter Dawn Justice and her unique hat.
It was this bold blue, white and black hat lovingly crafted from tissue paper that sparked a friendship between Ms Justice and 10-year-old Goulburn girl Isabelle Schofield.
Struck by her “sweetness” and her lovely manners, Ms Justice, from Peakhurst, started a search for the little girl from Goulburn to whom she wanted to give her own hand-crafted hat.
Taking to social media, it was within 15 minutes of posting to a Cronulla Sharks community page that they were reunited.
Isabelle’s mum, Elizabeth Schofield, said her “social butterfly” daughter approached Ms Justice at a game at Shark Park to compliment her hat.
“She is ‘little miss have a chat’ and I guess Dawn [Ms Justice] stands out in a crowd with her very unique style hat,” she said
Ms Justice said the week after their initial meeting Isabelle came up and asked if she remembered her.
“Her brother was sort of in the background making sure she was safe and I asked ‘what is your name?’ and she said it was ‘Isabelle’ and she was from Goulburn,” she said.
“When I got home I thought I would make her a hat so I did and I knitted her a scarf and took it to the next home game – she wasn’t there and I was a little disappointed.”
It was then she decided to try other avenues to find her new mate.
First she approached The Goulburn Post and then she posted on a Cronulla Sharks Facebook page.
After being put back in touch, Ms Justice presented a hat and a scarf, complete with pockets, to Isabelle and her 12-year-old brother James.
“She came running up and it was just lovely,” she said.
“It was very emotional for me for some reason; I just thought she was lovely, polite and well spoken.”
Ms Justice said the first hat she made was daughter’s easter hat parade 43 years ago.
“I make them from tissue paper flowers and a few sparkles,” she said.
Ms Justice has been working on a red, blue and white hat for a Royal Wedding party on Saturday.